Tubby Smith, former Memphis basketball coach, named to hall of fame
· Yahoo Sports
Tubby Smith, who spent two seasons as Memphis basketball coach, was announced as a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame's 2026 induction class on July 13.
Rounding out the class are coaches Jay Wright and Ted Owens, along with BYU guard Danny Ainge, Michigan forward Glen Rice, and UCLA guard Walt Hazzard, who died in 2011. The induction ceremony is set for Oct. 22 at the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City, Missouri.
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"The Class of 2026 represents the very best of college basketball – individuals whose performance, leadership, and impact helped shape the game at the highest level," said Kevin Henderson, CEO of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. "Their legacies will forever be preserved as part of the sport's rich history."
In addition to Smith's two seasons at Memphis — where he was fired in 2018, before the school hired Penny Hardaway — he also served as coach at Tulsa (1992-95), Georgia (1996-97), Kentucky (1998-2007), Minnesota (2008-13), Texas Tech (2014-16), and High Point (2019-22). He has a career record of 642-370, and he won the 1998 national championship in his first season at Kentucky.
Smith, 75, is one of four coaches in college basketball history to lead as many as five programs to the NCAA tournament. Memphis and High Point are the only programs that did not reach March Madness with him as coach. During the most successful stretch of his coaching career, Smith guided his teams to the Big Dance 16 out of 17 seasons. But his last season at Texas Tech (2015-16) is the only time he reached the NCAA tournament over his final nine seasons as a Division I coach.
Smith finished with a 40-26 record at Memphis.
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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tubby Smith, former Memphis basketball coach, named to hall of fame